And then there's TALENT ~ the art of Ted Emrick

I suspect we have all fallen in love at some wondrous point or another. I, for one, can easily fall in love with a lonesome tree on a hillside as it reaches for the sky; I can fall in love with a thick luscious apricot home-made jam; I can fall in love with the soft moves of a sensuous gesture; and I must say that falling in love with the art of Ted Emrick was not hard to do at all. Ted Emrick and I go back to our college days at the San Francisco Art Institute in the mid-eighties. It only took us a mere 27 years to get back in touch. 

The time had come.

Back then, his reverse glass paintings were on a scale that blew me away in their effortless and mind-boggling intimidating creativity. I knew he was not done. I knew then he would go on to great things. 

I was right. I held on to a secret. Today there are sculptures in Ted Emrick's world made of unique materials that seem so stunningly unrelated. 

He molds and shapes these materials. 

He blends colors into them that dance joyously together. 

He slices glass with undulating grace. He stacks it.

He paints between the lines. 

He sees what we do not see. 

He inspires the textures he touches to reveal themselves. 

Twisting Orion's Belt ~ the first photograph he sent me after 27 years...no wonder!

The power of the glass. The power of the waves Ted sees in the glass.

I am moved beyond words when I look at art like this ~ the stacked glass, the sliced shells imbedded like fossils of long ago; the human body standing strong against the ripples in the ocean.

Ted's front yard at his home on the Central Coast. 

~ even there he creates in the light of all that sea of glass. Does he see it as I see it?

Ted's latest reverse glass paintings are something for the eye of the beholder. 

The technique might be a secret. I know I must find it out.

Ted's most recent artistic endeavor ~ life size pods - seed pods, light dancing from within, the female figure eager to reveal itself ~ all floating in an ethereal world. 

Deep breath... these leave me in awe.

Ted Emrick's world is before anything else a world of surf. Back in the 80's, he would often disappear from the Art Institute for days on end. He would look at Alcatraz from the balcony of the Institute and the waves would call his name; the waves would call him home. He would then head south to the energy of the rolling waves of his Central Coast, only to return invigorated, ready to release new gemstones of art, new gemstones of incredible art.

After 27 years, in our very first correspondence,Ted sent me two photos. The first one is at the top of this blog - divine to say the least; the second one is this one of him surfing - to me, they epitomize the man I can truly call my friend ~ an amazing artist, an amazing inspiration. 

Reach out to him you must ~ at tedemrick.com

These are the words he attached to this last photo.

"Sometimes you just have to let go, close your eyes and let life flow from around you!"

 By now you must know my closing line ~ take a deep breath and repeat after me:

"It's good for the soul"

Create ~ Adeline

The California Central Coast ~ one simply must.

These past couple of years, I have leisurely rediscovered the unique beauty of the California coastline. Time has a way of flying by, and a backlog of photos is demanding my attention - a pleasure in itself! 
It was late last summer that I headed south to the Central Coast. There I rekindled a long-lost college-year friendship with an amazingly talented artist, Ted Emrick. Be on the look out for my next blog  - it will be all about his art. Get ready to be inspired.

For now, I shall tease you with the beauty of his surroundings, which stretch from Morro Bay to San Luis Obispo to Montana de Oro State Park and beyond. We drove around sheer bluffs, walked through small woods and sandy paths to reach dramatic vista points. We stopped here and there in the grey morning fog light, peaked around corners of sunshine reflecting on the ocean, standing speechless at the beauty. That ocean invigorates Ted's life and his art. He is also an avid surfer, but that weekend, there was no surf board -  he relaxed against the warm stones he is so familiar with as I wandered on the beach and paths capturing the mood, capturing details to tuck away in my own spirit.

Later we ventured inland to the heat and vastness of the Paso Robles wine country - and just like further north in Napa and Sonoma Valley - one simply must stop by and taste the wines.
Join me.

 A weekend of discovery

 - a weekend of relaxation - a weekend of art - a weekend of friendship

Simply so good for the soul

Join me next time as I treat you to the art and garden of Ted's world.

Mendocino County ~ Return to magic

Living in Marin County, I can be on the coast within an hour. Shear bliss. I can head south or I can head north, and no matter which way I look, pure magic happens. Mother Nature has blessed this coastline with one scenic location after the other. 

This time I choose to head north to Mendocino County. I roll down the window to take it all in. The cool coastal breezes beckon. At every turn in the road, I see breathtaking natural wonders: rugged coastline beaches, majestic towering redwoods, hillside artisanal vineyards. 

The picturesque scenery is spectacular. It is grand.

In Sea Ranch, I find serenity and panoramic ocean views. In Gualala, I stop for beach combing and perfect tide pools along the rocky shoreline. The lure of my next stop excites me - more rolling hills with new secrets revealed around each bend; then... Mendocino, that quaint town which sits on a headland surrounded by the Pacific Ocean with its oceanfront Victorian homes, its secluded bluffs, its dramatic surf. 

There is wilderness. 

There is charm. 

There is laziness. 

There is beauty. 

There is lingering morning fog. 

There is art.

It does not get better than this. it is the perfect getaway. There is peace, there is tranquility.

It is April. It is a good month. The wild flowers are in bloom. It is springtime,

You must know... It is good for the soul.